Ruling Party's Landslide Victory... 'Police Reform' Accelerates with Introduction of Autonomous Police System

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] With the 21st general election resulting in a landslide victory for the ruling party, it is expected that the processing of 'police reform' bills, including the introduction of the autonomous police system, will also accelerate. The full implementation of the prosecution-police investigation authority adjustment bill, which was already passed in the 20th National Assembly, and the establishment of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (Gong-su-cheo) are also expected to proceed smoothly.

Regarding the adjustment of investigation authority, it is anticipated that it could be implemented as early as the second half of this year. The investigation authority adjustment bill (Partial Amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act), which passed the National Assembly plenary session on January 13, stipulates that it shall be enforced by presidential decree within one year from six months after its promulgation. The variable in the timing of introduction was the 'autonomous police system.' President Moon Jae-in has consistently maintained the position that "it is desirable to implement the adjustment of investigation authority and the autonomous police system together as much as possible." This means that it is necessary to balance the police powers, which become excessive due to the adjustment of investigation authority, by distributing them to the autonomous police.

The autonomous police system is being promoted with the intention of delegating some existing police duties such as traffic, domestic violence, and security to the autonomous police, thereby reducing the authority of the national police and implementing community policing services that are closer to residents in the era of local autonomy. However, although the bill related to the autonomous police system (Complete Amendment to the Police Act) was submitted to the National Assembly in March last year, it was not properly discussed in the relevant subcommittee due to factors such as the fast-track legislative process. As a result, the government's original plan to select pilot operation areas by the end of the same year and fully introduce the autonomous police nationwide in 2021 has been delayed. A bill clarifying the authority of the intelligence police, which was embroiled in controversies over illegal surveillance and political interference, was also submitted to the National Assembly in January last year but has seen sluggish progress. These two are representative police reform-related bills.

In the 21st National Assembly, discussions and promotion of police reform-related bills are expected to accelerate. Bills proposed in the 20th National Assembly are automatically discarded if not processed within the term, but they can be reintroduced and processed in the 21st National Assembly. Since the government and the ruling party have repeatedly shown strong determination for reforming power institutions, it is expected that there will be no difficulties in processing the bills in the future. The fact that Im Ho-seon, former Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency who led the police reform efforts, and Hwang Un-ha, a prominent advocate for investigation authority adjustment within the police and former head of the Police Human Resources Development Institute, have entered the 21st National Assembly as ruling party candidates adds weight to this outlook.

Along with this, the launch of the Gong-su-cheo scheduled for July is also expected to gain momentum. The Gong-su-cheo establishment preparation team will hold the second advisory committee meeting at the end of this month to begin discussions on the appointment of the Gong-su-cheo chief, among other matters. There are also forecasts that the ruling party will intensify prosecution reform, leveraging their election victory as a stepping stone.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.